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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25899157">Sometimes I forget</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/squats/pseuds/squats'>squats</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure (Cartoon)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>F/F, F/M, I am illiterate, Mentions of Death, Mentions of Drowning, Panic Attacks, basically the ot3 oneshot i've always wanted to read so i wrote it myself, cassunzel, if you see any errors i apologise</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-08-23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-08-23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-05 12:08:19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,023</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25899157</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/squats/pseuds/squats</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Set after the finale. The girls are having a sleepover. Giggles and silliness die down when a secret is reavealed. Cassandra doesn't take it too well.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Cassandra/Rapunzel (Disney: Tangled)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>36</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Sometimes I forget</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>"Cass... can I tell you something?" Rapunzel's small voice inquired from under Cassandra's chin, where the princess had hidden her face.</p><p>"Anything, Raps", she whispered, rubbing her back. "What's up?"</p><p>"It feels... calming to have you in bed with me". The princess squeezed her tighter. She paused and gathered her strength, listening to the warrior's heart for a few beats. "There are nights when... I guess I forget you're still here."</p><p>"What are you saying?". Cass furrowed her brow in confusion.</p><p>"I uh, sometimes I dream that... I wasn't able to bring you back that time". Cassandra felt Rapunzel's body tense and she instinctively hugged her closer. "I forget that you're warm and soft and- alive. I just see your motionless, cold body lying on the ground in a puddle of deep red. And your eyes are open but there's nothing in them. No light. It's gone. You're gone. And I can't bring you back."</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p> </p><p>Cass felt her heart hammering in her chest at Rapunzel's words. She felt her arms stiffen and tingle, like she was losing control of them.</p><p> </p><p>"You're gone."</p><p> </p><p>The feeling of intense fear washed over her and she became aware of her breathing, now loud like the sound of drying sheets whooping in the air when the wind gets too strong. Inhaling felt weird and her head spun. She thought to herself, "Is it happening again?" as her lungs would only allow her to take small breaths.</p><p> </p><p>"In a puddle of deep red."</p><p> </p><p>Her vision blurred and she couldn't feel any of her limbs anymore, as though she was just a mind trapped in a cage made of fear. "I'm dying. I am dying. I'm dying, I'm dying-"</p><p> </p><p>"Cold. Motionless."</p><p><br/> She became aware of Rapunzel's presence again when she grabbed her hand. She tried to yank it away but the girl wouldn't let go. She felt her sweat turn cold. Rapunzel's hand made her skin itch and the feeling of a thousand tiny insects traveled up her arm, threatening to bite through her skin any second. She felt so trapped.</p><p> </p><p> 'D-' she breathed out with difficulty. 'Don't!' She yelled and pulled away and Rapunzel's fingers released hers at last. It didn't change much. The insects retracted but she was still breathing funny. She felt like she was drowning, like the time she was little and her dad took her to the beach. When the tide washed over her and swooped the sand from under her feet. When the ocean spun her around and she couldn't tell where was up and where was down. The carousel of blues and whites around her, more blinding than darkness.</p><p> </p><p>'I'm dying' She heard her own voice, strained and choked and shaky. 'Make it stop'.</p><p> </p><p> 'Cass'. She heard Rapunzel speak to her but she could barely register what she was saying. She was crying and it was making her words hard to understand. 'Cass, please, no, please, please-'</p><p> </p><p> </p><p><br/> <br/> "I'm dying!", cried Cass, doubling over and gripping the sheets with her hands, hard. She was taking shallow, quick breaths, more frequent than Rapunzel had ever seen her take, and she was sobbing, her face completely damp, her bangs clinging to her sweat covered forehead.</p><p> </p><p>Rapunzel had never seen her like this. It frightened her and her words only added to the princess' panic: "I'm dy-ing!"</p><p><br/> "Cass, please, no-" Rapunzel was crying, too, and shaking, wanting to hold her best friend, to save her, but she already tried to comfort her, and she pulled away, and it broke her heart.</p><p> </p><p>She wanted to make her stop saying those awful words that Rapunzel rarely let escape the very dark of her mind, because it scared her too much to think of the time she saw her best friend's body limp and lifeless on the stone hard floor. And to think it was happening again, now that she had lost the power to bring her back? It was too much. "Please don't leave me! Please, don't, I can't help you anymore! Please, stay with me!"</p><p><br/> Suddenly, the door to her bedroom swung open and a very worried, very messy-haired Eugene came in with Pascal on his shoulder. He spotted Cass, who was choking on her tears and he ripped his sleep mask off his forehead, worry deepening the crease between his brows and softening his eyes. He looked around the room and his eyes fell on Rapunzel.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> When the frog jumped on his face and woke him up and then kept violently chirping and squeeking and pointing his claw to the door until he got up and jogged after him through the dark castle hallways, he didn't even have time to fix his hair.</p><p> </p><p>To be fair, he didn't even <em>think</em> about his hair when Pascal pinched his nose and yelled at him. If the lizard was so upset, something wrong had to be going on with the woman they both loved. Thus, Eugene jumped out of bed without second thoughts, hazy, sleep-infected brain running circles around his skull, making up scenarios that could occur in the middle of the night and that involved his beloved getting hurt or worse.</p><p><br/> He was <em>not</em> prepared to see his former enemy, current almost-sister figure weeping in the bed of the love of his life, who was, as a matter of fact, sobbing right beside her.</p><p><br/> "Uh oh", he murmured. "So I assume the girls' night didn't go as planned."</p><p><br/> "Eugene!" Rapunzel screamed his name from her kneeling position on the floor by Cassandra's legs. "Eugene, please do something!"</p><p><br/> He realized Cassandra's behavior seemed off. The mere fact that she was crying was weird enough but there was something unnatural about it. But it also seemed familiar. He had seen it before.</p><p><br/> "Eugene, I do-on't want her to di-e", The princess stuttered when he came up to her and hugged her trembling shoulders. "I- ca-an't help her anymo-ore!", she cried out and hid her face in his chest. "I don't want her to die!"</p><p><br/> "Rapunzel, Cassandra is not going to die, okay?" He reassurred her, rubbing her back. "Sunshine, could you do me a favor and take that glass of water out to the balcony?" He wiped her face with his shirt and put the glass he'd found on the nightstand in her hands. "I will take care of her, I promise. Please take this glass to the balcony."</p><p><br/> Rapunzel did as he asked after he'd put a blanket around her shoulders, kissed her forehead and gave her a small smile. Then he turned to Cass.</p><p><br/> It was a sorry sight. She was messy, her face red and wet. The very definition of ugly crying. But it was Cassnadra, after all, and "ugly" was the perfect word to go describe her anyway. He grimaced at his thoughts. Now is not the time. And not a good subject to tease her about.</p><p><br/> "Hey, Cass", he began calmly, sitting on the edge of Rapunzel's bed. "It's Eugene, remember me? The most handsome man you've seen in your life? Not that it matters to a big ol' woman lover as yourself, but facts don't lie. Would you be okay with me holding your hand?"</p><p><br/> Cassandra didn't respond so he didn't dare to touch her in case she had a dagger in her sock. Which she probably did. And would use if she felt his hand on hers.</p><p><br/> "Remember to breathe, Cassandra", he looked around the room for something he could blab about. Chatting about meaningless stuff always worked on Rapunzel. "Oh, look at that gorgeous painting!" He reached for a half finished painting chilling on the easel. "It's Mr Frog in his adorable grass skirt from our island adventure! Ack-!" He jumped when a tongue hit his ear. "What, you scaly lizard, I'm complimenting you! Can you believe the nerve of this slimy reptile, Cass? Oh, I just love the thicker layer on the leaves here, you should feel it. Don't tell Rapunzel, but I touch her paintings when she's not looking. I like the texture."</p><p><br/> He slipped the canvas onto her lap under her balled fists.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> Cassandra was too tired to question why Eugene was in bed with her. She felt embarrassed, far more embarrassed than she'd ever been in her life. To lose control of her mind and body like that. To cry like a toddler, snot dripping down from her nostrils, her body completely soaked with sweat. And for Eugene to see it. Ugh. She felt humiliated.</p><p><br/> She took another sip from the cold glass she could barely hold in her shaky, wimpy hands. Her fingers had yellow, green and brown spots all over them from rubbing Rapunzel's newest art piece. She looked over to the side, where the canvas lay. Pascal's little grass skirt was now a big smudged blob and his tiny lizard face was ruined. She closed her eyes and bit on the brim of the glass. So embarrassing.</p><p><br/> "Cass?" A voice startled her awake. She didn't realize she'd started falling asleep. It was Eugene. "Are you feeling better?"</p><p><br/> She closed her eyes again. She hated it. Hated being seen like this. But he cared about her. The thought of that stung her eyes and she opened them, but didn't want to look up. She nodded, not trying to speak in case her voice was going to come out trembling.</p><p><br/> "Do you want more water?" When she shook her head, he took the empty glass out her hands. She heard it softly thump against the nightstand. "It's all okay, Cass. You should rest now, you can lay down."</p><p><br/> "Cass?" A shaky voice called from a distance and she looked up to see Rapunzel getting up from the armchair and coming up to her. 'Cass, I-' She moved forward to hug her but she retracted and balled her fists by her sides instead, looking at her with big, worried eyes. "Cass, I was so, so scared, I-'</p><p><br/> "Raps", she croaked and cleared her throat. It was difficult to move her arms. They felt like they were made of 8 tons of wool. She opened them for Rapunzel, whose face immediately shone with relief and tears as she fell into the hug, sobbing.</p><p><br/> 'I really- really thought you were- not okay', sniffled Rapunzel, clinging to her best friend's body. 'You kept- breathing fast and saying you were dying and I- Cass, I was so scared.'</p><p><br/> 'I was scared, too', admitted Cass. Saying words felt so slow. She had no energy to rub Rapunzel's shaking back. She felt her head droop. Rapunzel's embrace felt so calming. She felt a sting of guilt and embarrassment at Rapunzel's and her own confessions, but it only lasted for a second because sleep overcame her and she let go to the sound of Rapunzel's quiet sniffling and whispered words.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> "I love you", she whispered again and again, holding Cass close and making sure not to let the mucus from her nose drip onto her best friend's hair. She didn't know how much time had passed since she saw Cass' eyes go wide and her breath hitch. It felt like hours. She was calm now, asleep in her arms. She brushed the dark curls away from her reddened face. The bags under her eyes were more defined than usually. Her lips, now parted lightly, were dry. She looked sick. Rapunzel kissed her softly and gently hugged her head tighter.</p><p><br/> This whole incident hurt her. It freaked her out so bad she couldn't think straight. She would never admit it to Cass, but she was a tiny bit mad at her. For saying she was dying. After she had revealed to her that was her biggest fear; Cassandra dying again. At first she'd thought it was a mean prank and she got very mad. But when Cass wouldn't stop, she panicked. She didn't know how to help. Not without her healing powers. </p><p><br/> Eugene told her it was just one of those things Rapunzel herself had experienced, like when she'd wake up from a nightmare and cry and shake, and not be able to breathe. She hated that. She knew Cass must've been feeling so embarrassed. But she was glad to be by her side. She was glad Eugene was experienced and knew what their best friend needed. She still hated the thought of Cass going through that. She herself hated it more than anything. But she got help. And she was healing. Cass needed help, too.</p><p><br/> The princess dipped her head and pecked her best friend's cheek. She reached over her body to grab Eugene's hand. He lay on his side on the bed, head propped on his palm, quietly, lost in thought. He looked up at her and squeezed her fingers when they brushed his skin.</p><p><br/> "What's up?", asked his smile. </p><p><br/> She brought his palm to her mouth and planted a kiss on top of it. "Thank you", she meant for it to say. "I love you."</p><p><br/> He cupped her cheek. "I love you, too." She saw his eyes flick to sleeping Cass and she knew he loved her as well.</p><p> </p>
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